An American Feast - Foods that Make Up an American Thanksgiving Dinner | EF English LiveHow it worksTeachersAbout usBlogSign inSign upBlogCareer EnglishEnglish in the Real WorldGrammarLanguage LabPressStudy TipsVocabularyCareer EnglishHow to write a perfect professional email in English in 5 steps8 phrases to make a great impression on your English workmatesHow to Say “Sorry for the Late Reply”Work Experience: How to talk about itWhat you should (and shouldn’t!) say in your resignation letterView allEnglish in the real worldTop 10 ways to say “thank you” in an English emailDescribe your daily routine: Useful English phrasesHow to make an appointment in English19 motivational quotes to keep you learning EnglishThe Meaning of Hand Gestures Around the WorldView allGrammarEnglish grammar help: Tricky Prepositions – in, on, atHow to ask questions in EnglishAll Kinds of English AdjectivesActive and passive voice in EnglishView allLanguage Lab15 most common English idioms and phrasesEnglish grammar help: Common PrepositionsEnglish grammar help: how to use ‘should’, ‘would’ and ‘could’English Grammar Help: Clearer or More Clear?How to start a conversation in English – a guide to small talkView allPressThe World’s Top Languages to learnEurope on top in EF’s Global Ranking of English ProficiencyItalians, French, Germans, Spaniards: Who speaks better English?The cities with the best English level in the world according to EF EPI 2021The Wild Ride: Why we decided to become a title partner of a WorldTour pro cycling teamView allTestimonialsHow Learning English Is Helping Mariam Fulfil Her Dreams in the Fashion WorldSarah’s story: Learning English to create opportunities for the futureWhy English Live's private classes is working for meFor Heyam, learning English online is a step closer to her marketing careerView allStudy Tips15 best tips for improving English quickly and easily10 Top tips for learning English at homeWhat is a phonemic chart and how will it help my English?10 Netflix Series to Help You Learn EnglishTop tips to help you ace your English speaking examView allVocabulary10 most famous English song lyrics ever – and their meaningFall in Love with these love idioms and phrasesTop tips for speaking on the telephone in EnglishView allSign inHow it worksTeachersAbout usBlogSign inSign up+44 20 3322 9565HomeCareer EnglishEnglish in the Real WorldGrammarLanguage LabPressStudy TipsVocabularyHow to write a perfect professional email in English in 5 steps8 phrases to make a great impression on your English workmatesHow to Say “Sorry for the Late Reply”Work Experience: How to talk about itWhat you should (and shouldn’t!) say in your resignation letterTop 10 ways to say “thank you” in an English emailDescribe your daily routine: Useful English phrasesHow to make an appointment in English19 motivational quotes to keep you learning EnglishThe Meaning of Hand Gestures Around the WorldEnglish grammar help: Tricky Prepositions – in, on, atHow to ask questions in EnglishAll Kinds of English AdjectivesActive and passive voice in English15 most common English idioms and phrasesEnglish grammar help: Common PrepositionsEnglish grammar help: how to use ‘should’, ‘would’ and ‘could’English Grammar Help: Clearer or More Clear?How to start a conversation in English – a guide to small talkThe World’s Top Languages to learnEurope on top in EF’s Global Ranking of English ProficiencyItalians, French, Germans, Spaniards: Who speaks better English?The cities with the best English level in the world according to EF EPI 2021The Wild Ride: Why we decided to become a title partner of a WorldTour pro cycling teamHow Learning English Is Helping Mariam Fulfil Her Dreams in the Fashion WorldSarah’s story: Learning English to create opportunities for the futureWhy English Live's private classes is working for meFor Heyam, learning English online is a step closer to her marketing career15 best tips for improving English quickly and easily10 Top tips for learning English at homeWhat is a phonemic chart and how will it help my English?10 Netflix Series to Help You Learn EnglishTop tips to help you ace your English speaking exam10 most famous English song lyrics ever – and their meaningFall in Love with these love idioms and phrasesTop tips for speaking on the telephone in EnglishAn American Feast - Foods that Make Up an American Thanksgiving DinnerIt’s one of the biggest celebrations in the American calendar – and food plays a major role. So what is Thanksgiving all about? It’s a US holiday that takes place on the fourth Thursday in November. Back in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed it a national day of thanksgiving, celebrating the first harvest of the first Pilgrims and Puritans to lands in America in 1621 – and it’s been a holiday ever since.Thanksgiving dinner is really the centrepiece of this annual festival – a large meal, with family and friends gathered round the table to celebrate together. If you’re a fan of American TV shows like The Simpsons, you’ll undoubtedly have seen what Thanksgiving dinner looks like – and there are usually just as many family arguments as there are smiles around the table and plenty of American football on TV too!Want to host your own Thanksgiving dinner this year? Then come November these are the essential, and delicious, ingredients you’ll need.TurkeyJust as it’s a traditional meat used for Christmas dinner, turkey is favoured because it’s big – and that means it can feed a whole family. Turkeys are usually stuffed with chestnuts and/or sausage meat and grains and baked in the oven before being carved at the table for everyone to enjoy.Cranberry sauceYou can’t serve up your Thanksgiving turkey without this sauce of the season. The first pilgrims learnt all about cranberries from the Native American Indians, who picked these berries at this time of year. Today, some people serve their cranberry sauce straight out of the can or jar, but if you have the time you might want to try and make your own. All you need to do is boil some sugar and water, add some cranberries, cook until they pop, mash them and then let the sauce cool in the fridge.VegetablesClosely tied to harvest festivals that date back centuries, Thanksgiving makes use of all the vegetables that are traditionally harvested at this time of year. That means lots of root vegetables. These are vegetables that grow in the ground, under soil, rather than above ground or on trees or plants. So that means potatoes of all kinds, parsnips, carrots, squash, yams, and the most popular Thanksgiving veg of all – pumpkins.Marshmallow sweet potatoesThink sweet potatoes aren’t sweet enough? Neither does America. Believe it or not, this is a favourite Thanksgiving dish that’s baked all across the country for this feast. While fluffy white marshmallows definitely weren’t served up at the first thanksgiving dinner back in 1621, they’re often included today. All you need to do is roast some sweet potatoes, then mash them, add some butter and cinnamon, top with marshmallows, then stick them back in the oven until the marshmallows are browned on top.Pumpkin pieLooking for more sweet treats? As well as serving up pumpkin as a vegetable, Americans like to sweeten their mashed pumpkin to use as a delicious filling for this traditional Thanksgiving pie.Pecan pieAnother popular kind of pie baked for Thanksgiving uses another ingredient that’s harvested at this time of year. Pecan nuts are used in this pie that is sweetened with maple syrup, but that’s not the only place pecan nuts feature at the dinner table. Pecans are also crushed up and used as part of the stuffing ingredients for the Thanksgiving turkey and are mixed through with roast vegetables.Learn English OnlineHow it worksTeachersLevels and certificatePlans and pricesTerms and conditionsOur CoursesBusiness EnglishGeneral EnglishTravel EnglishTOEFL PreparationTOEIC PreparationDiscoverEF English Live AppPopular topicsOnline enquiryTest your EnglishAll articlesEF English LiveAbout usWork with usContact usHelpPrivacy policySign inSign up+44 20 3322 9565ENChange language© 1996-2023 Signum International AG. All rights reserved.